Nintendo 3DS Expansion Slide Pad and 3D video unleashed

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We bet that when Nintendo originally planned on announcing the first raft of big changes for the 3DS it was hoping to further raise excitement levels for a booming console.

Instead, the official unveiling of the 3DS Expansion Slide Pad and the announcement of 3D video recording at a Tokyo press conference have a tinge of desperation around them, and feel like the gaming giant's last attempt at kick-starting a 3D handheld revolution following the massive price cuts in August.

The Kakuchou Slide Pad, to give it its Japanese moniker, houses the base of the 3DS and adds an extra thumbstick on the right hand side. It's powered by a solitary AA battery and is a fairly cheap accessory, priced at ¥1,500 in Japan - so we'd hope for around a £10-£15 price tag here in the UK.

It's out in Japan on 10 December, no word yet on a global release plan.

Nintendo also used the presser to announce that 3D video recording will hit the 3DS in November following a software update, and also revealed that a pink version of the console will be landing for the ladies.

Too little, too late? Maybe so, but with Monster Hunter 4, Mario Tennis, Bravely Default: Flying Fairy, MGS and Resident Evil all heading to the handheld in 2012, it may be too soon to write it off just yet.